'In its proper home'' ... this article can also now be seen at Salut!'s musical offshoot Salut! Live: follow this link
I fell in love over and over with the singing of Sinead O'Connor, taken so soon at the age of 56,
She was undoubtedly a troubled woman. She had a wretched childhood and yet rose above the misery it caused to become a wonderful artist. And what a voice!
For once, I agree with my friend Bill Taylor. Among so many tracks I could offer by way of tribute, her performance with the Chieftains of The Foggy Dew, in my view the finest song to come from the Easter Rising of Ireland in 1916.
But then there was Raglan Road:
And the great ballad Anachie Gordon:
Whatever your choice of Sinead O'Connor music, please just appreciate what she accomplished - and how Annie Lennox chose to honour her life:
u bared your soul…
Shared your brilliance
Through exquisite artistry
Your incredible voice..
Fierce and fragile
Lioness and lamb
Sweet singing bird
Keenly tuned
Trembling..
Tip-toeing along the high wire
Or stamping the ground
Raw
Wounded
Fearless
Impulsive
Bold and beautiful
Truth teller
Singer of songs
Crazy wisdom
Power house
Shaman
Priest and Priestess
Unafraid..
May the angels hold you
In their tender arms
And give you rest
In peace…
That is a moving tribute. But with thanks to my former colleague Mike Bealing for posting it at Facebook, take a look at this utterly beautiful tribute to Sinead’s humanity as published in a reader’s letter in, of all places, The Daily Telegraph.
* The photo of Sinead is by Bryan Ledgard - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ledgard/14828633401/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135032178
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